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EP3 Hillclimb Project EP3

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dfriel2

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37
So after looking at all of the options, I'm aiming to run a EP3 as a hillclimb car this year and develop over time. Think it has great potential for the events I'm interested in. Would also be usd for track days.

Need to find the right car first. Still a little torn between running a standard car (there's a class for that in some championships), use this season and develop over next winter, or buy a car with a few choice mods and run in a higher class straightaway. However, finding an "enthusiast" owned / well maintained car is a challenge. Nothing I'm really tempted in viewing! Obviously doesn't need to be a mint example, but getting a car with proper service history seems tricky. I guess I could risk buying a really cheap one... not sure I'm up for a gamble quite yet.

I'm down in Somerset, so if you know of potential EP3 please drop me a note.
 
EP3 has been found for the hillclimb project. Took a gamble and travelled a long way for it, but seems to be pretty good and survived the 4.5 hour journey home! The exhaust was silly loud, so standard back box already on. Much more sensible and shouldn't have any noise problems now. I'm looking to fit a JDM ARB and get some proper tyres before it's first event at Wiscombe later in April.
 
You going to need a pretty aggressive geometry set up to get it round the tight corners quickly. If your stripping weight, the 197bhp standard power will be plenty for hill climbing, anymore would just be overkill.

Good luck
 
It will run in the "road production" category and 2018 will be a bit of a test, with some track days thrown in so that I can learn the car. A couple of Wiscombe events entered, and Gurston in June also. Looking at Goodwood, Castle Combe and Wiscombe again later in the year.

The regulations are fairly open but the interior needs to be retained. The car already has an intake, exhuast, eibach springs, RPC clutch, ligthened flywheel and a Mfactory helical LSD. I will make sure that the set up is fully adjustable, and ready for when I get a set of tyres. Might just go for a set of Yoko Ad08r's for 2018 and keep it simple for this year.
 
Looks as though you'd got a good base, the LSD will help you a lot too! Good tyres and a geo are where I'd concentrate, brakes too if needs be.
 
Krzys said:
Looks as though you'd got a good base, the LSD will help you a lot too! Good tyres and a geo are where I'd concentrate, brakes too if needs be.
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Thanks, will do. I'm looking to replace all the drop links (look old and knackered), get rear adjustable camber arms (fronts already adjustable) and upgrade the rear ARB to a JDM one. That will be it to start with, and tyres. Can I ask what geo set up do you use for your track car?

Brakes. I need to look at the fronts (rears have recently been completely replaced). There are braided hoses on the front and it stops well on street.
 
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dfriel2 said:
Thanks, will do. I'm looking to replace all the drop links (look old and knackered), get rear adjustable camber arms (fronts already adjustable) and upgrade the rear ARB to a JDM one. That will be it to start with, and tyres. Can I ask what geo set up do you use for your track car?
Click to expand...

Currently just a basic 'Fast road setup', pinched the settings from a thread on here somewhere.
 
Are you planning on using the car on the road also? Put it on a diet, whip the carpets out, the roof lining, if you replace the front seats with some lighter racing seats, and replace the glass (bar the window screen) with perspex. Will save you a lot of unnecessary weight, and keep you within the rules.
 
tom83 said:
Are you planning on using the car on the road also? Put it on a diet, whip the carpets out, the roof lining, if you replace the front seats with some lighter racing seats, and replace the glass (bar the window screen) with perspex. Will save you a lot of unnecessary weight, and keep you within the rules.
Click to expand...

Yes, it will stay on the road. The hillclimb regs for road going require that you have to retain all of the interior (can replace drivers seat and add safety gear) and the glass has to stay as well. But you're right, weight is an issue to investigate.

The car is now in the air and ready for some parts to arrive. All bolts doused in "release" spray!
 
When I was looking at Hill climbing, as long as it had a valid Mot you could race. Hence interior stripping, but leaving the seats in. Also the glass could be swapped out for Perspex, as long as it met Mot guidelines.
 
Don't think you need passenger seats for an MOT. I've certainly removed rear seats and associated belts and fixings from several cars and never failed an MOT because of that. Not sure on passenger seat but I did run my first mini with only a drivers seat for quite a while, just can't remember if it ever had an MOT in that state.
 
Well, the rear ARB bolts are a delight! One side just about ok, the other side a disaster.. nothing like a challenge to start with. At least the camber arms loosened off ok.
 
Rear ARB bolts "extracted", and ancient rear drop links sawn off. Replacement parts start to arrive tomorrow. Will be good to get the car ready for tyres and geo set up.

The springs and shocks look in pretty poor condition. I'll be looking to get some coilovers on at some stage - when the budget allows.
 
Civic getting tyres fitted and then "set up" next week ahead of Wiscombe on the 28th.. really looking forward to it. Completely different from any car that i've owned, so will take a bit of getting used to (good to get the excuses in early!).

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Survived the first event down in Wiscombe down in Devon. Pretty nasty conditions, slippery all day and not ideal for my first test of the car. We had a class of 18 (up to 2600cc) so the 1.8T cars allowed in that, including quattros. Was third after the first timed run, and pretty happy with that considering the the circumstance. Not 100% sure of the final results, but think that another quattro and very committed Clio went quicker than me on the final run. Being beaten by 4wd turbo stuff in those conditions isn't too disappointing really. Video of quickest run below, I made a bad mistake early on, so lost a chunk of time. It will take me a while to learn the car that's for sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biYvC12b2Nw
 
A couple of Wiscombe events down and one at Gurston. Quickly learning that I need more time in the car (track afternoon booked for a couple of weeks time) and that the vtec band really needs to be lowered (something to think about over the winter). Was a real issue at Gurston where I was massively between gears. Have something circuit sprint events planned, so will be interesting to see what it's like when I can stretch its legs a bit.
 
Any videos from gurston? I did the hill climb school there and really enjoyed it. Never got brave enough to push hard though, the track is much narrower than it looks!

Sent from my LG-H870DS using Tapatalk
 
This looks a lot of fun! Some nice driving in that video, hill climbing is tricky to say the least.
 
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